get a grip on

Idioms

Also, have a grip on. Obtain mastery or control over something or someone. For example, Get a grip on yourself or the reporters will give you a hard time, or, as Arthur Conan Doyle put it in Sherlock Holmes (1894): “I have a grip on the essential facts of the case.” This expression transfers a firm physical hold to emotional or intellectual control. [Late 1800s]

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

At the same time, successive governments have failed to "get a grip" on the persistent shortage of appropriate placements for these children, according to Dr Kerr.

From BBC • May 20, 2026

Local authorities have been trying to step up efforts to get a grip on the issue by using methods such as surveillance cameras to catch culprits.

From BBC • Feb. 20, 2026

There are broader geopolitical reasons for the U.S. to get a grip on Latin America.

From Barron's • Jan. 5, 2026

Iran appointed a new central bank governor this week, Abdolnaser Hemmati, who promised to get a grip on inflation.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 31, 2025

I can’t even get a grip on it.

From "Challenger Deep" by Neal Shusterman

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023